I WAS A REGULAR PERSONI used to think I was just a regular person, but I was born white, which now, whether I like it or not, makes me a racist & responsible for slaveryI am a fiscal & moral conservative, which by today's standards, makes me a fascist because I plan & support myself.I went to HS, worked through college, got a degree & have held a job, & am here not because I earned it but because I was advantaged.I am heterosexual, which according to gay folks, now makes me a homophobe. I am non-union, which makes me a traitor to the working class & ally of big business.I am not a Muslim, which now labels me as an infidel.I believe in the 2nd Amendment, which makes me a member of the vast NRA gun lobby.I am older than 65 & retired, making me a useless old man who doesn't understand Facebook.I think & I reason, so I doubt what main stream media tells me, which must make me a reactionary.I am proud of my heritage & our inclusive American culture, making me a xenophobe.I value my safety & that of my family, & I appreciate the police & the legal system, making me a right-wing, cop loving extremist.I believe in hard work, fair play, & fair compensation according to each individual's merits, which today makes me an anti-socialist.I believe our system guarantees freedom of effort - not freedom of outcome or subsidies which must make me a borderline sociopath.I believe in the defense & protection of America for & by all citizens, now making me a militantI am proud of our flag, what it stands for, & the many who died to let it fly so I stand & salute during our National Anthem, taking me back where I started - I must be a racist.Please help me come to terms with the new me because I'm just not sure who I am anymore! I thank my friends for sticking with me through these abrupt, new found changes to my thinking! I just can't imagine or understand what's happened to me so quickly!

Lighten up Tom. It's that sort of thinking that just digs the mess deeper. Stop listening to AM radio and talk shows that insist on labeling things that way. None of what you posted on the left supports the claim to the right. Really, none of it.

What's changed is an insistence on the part of those being gunned down, those targeted because of their beliefs, gender preferences and color finally saying ENOUGH IS ENOUGH already.

Think long and hard about who has what to gain by making you afraid. It's not these folks, they're just looking for some peace.

Maybe I should have posted this under Dock Talk instead of The Lighter Side. "lighten up", "making you afraid", "just looking for some peace". Really?Maybe just a little patronizing? I don't know if you follow any of the news networks but when you get past the hate propaganda against conservatives and think about what in fact is happening in our country you would start to get an inkling as to the progressive agenda. What I do agree with is that "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH already." What statements are not supported-If you murder a new born baby you are against a women's rights? Oh and by the way we want to use tax payer money to make that happen. A black millionaire presidential candidate tells me about white privilege? If I am against tearing down statues of civil war icons I am a racist? I am not angry but rather very concerned about this countries future and its impact on my child and grand child. I see what liberal/progressive ideas have done to San Francisco, Chicago, LA, Seattle and Baltimore and I really don't want that for the rest of the country. Lets just say we agree to disagree.Bob you may want to move this post to Dock Talk.